Escape
by alwaysthere39
Summary: An emotional series about Brennan and Booth's gap year from everyone else. Updated weekly. Expect long philosophical debates and useless mumble jumble. And lots of star gazing. Clean, and mostly B&B, with a sprinkling of everyone else. Follow, fave and review :)
1. Chapter 1

Before we begin, this is not a crime-fighting, ass-busting story. This is a set of personal pieces about friendship, growth and loss. it is intended for us to remember what we love about the people around us, and the people that have gone. By gone, I mean they are no longer apart of your life for some reason.

I've often thought about Brennan and Booth in their break year away from everybody. I've experienced so many losses over the past year that this little event has had some significance to it, and I really wanted to try my hand at more emotional pieces. I'll put personal experiences into each story, and each chapter will be dedicated to one person I've lost the last year.

Here's the first chapter, when Brennan discusses Maluku with Angela. To Minyi, wherever you are.

_This means the character's thoughts_, and** this is emphasis**. :)

* * *

"Ange, there is something I need your opinion on."

Angela's head immediately snaps upward. She watches as Brennan shuffles her feet uneasily at her office door. Angela notes that her best friend is unusually twitchy and fidgety lately._ I wonder if it's about Booth._

She quickly wipes her charcoaled hands and drags Brennan to the couch. Normally she would have let Brennan stand there and speak in case the scientist suddenly ran off with the idea, but this time seemed different. This time seemed unsure, touchy. Angela **did not** want Brennan running away now. "Sweetie, you know you can tell me **anything**, right?"

"Yes, Ange, I am **fully** aware. I have heard it reinstated to me every time we have a conversation. You have instructed very clearly that open communication, to a point, is essential in all human interaction..." Angela recognises Brennan's wordiness as stalling and smoothly cuts with a "Very** good**, honey. So, what are you here for?"

Now Brennan starts to cross an uncross her ankles, a sign of the nerves. Angela starts to worry, and gives her scientist a little pat on the shoulder to encourage her. Brennan lets out a short breath and begins, "They've asked me to go to the Maluku Islands. This is a **terrific** prospect, with the possibility of discovering the unknown links in the evolution of Homo sapiens. As the leading anthropologist the world, I have a duty and responsibility to contribute to this expedition. But- " She starts to mumble, all in a rush. "I... I don't** feel** like going, Ange. I feel like... **staying**! I feel like I should be there, that this trip might be the greatest thing in my career, but I feel stuck here. It's** confusing**, Ange..."

Angela listens to the worries of her BFF (Best Friend Forever), and takes a moment to respond. "Well, this Maluku thingy, you were so huffed when they asked Daisy to go and not you. And now that they've asked you, you sure you want to stay?" She watches the conflicting emotions of pride, fear, worry cross Brennan's eyes. _The smartest woman in any room, and she can't hide her emotions._ Angela automatically thinks. _Maybe that's what makes her the best and smartest, because she doesn't allocate brain space to hypocrisy,_ her brain replies.

Angela takes a steadying whoosh of air, and gives Brennan a shifty glance as she says, "Isn't Booth going back to Iraq?" She winces as she notes the uncertainty in her friend's eyes._ I hate to do this, babe, but you can't stay where your heart is getting broken._

"Firstly, it was Afghanistan to train the troops, and secondly, Booth said he wasn't going..." Brennan reasons quietly, unsure. Angela senses her struggle.

"Well, Bren. You** know** Booth, and you know that in the end, he can't turn down the pleas of this country. They've already sent that army guy, like, two times, right? So right now he's just being stubborn, and when he's finished being stubborn, he's gonna go." Angela takes One of Brennan's hands in her own. "Babe, I hate to say this, but the **you** I know would** kill** to go on this trip..."

Brennan shoots Angela a thoughtful stare, contemplating her next words. "Well, I **have** told Booth before that I've... tired of all this murder. I am a **scientist** after all, Ange. I keep thinking about finding new things, and going, in your words - icky - places. I don't want to find out whose responsible for fracturing whose zygomatic arch any more..." Brennan scrunches her forehead. "You're **right**, Ange. I can't make Booth stay and not fulfil his right to his country, and there is **no way** I can let Daisy make this miraculous find on her own..." She twitches in her seat again, hovering between decision and heart.

Angela just watches as Brennan's logical mechanism switches on, and observes as the mechanism, as always, overrides Brennan's emotions. The process is an oddly familiar, yet heart-wrenching process. _Even the smartest woman has her demons to overcome. In a way, _Angela muses, _I've become a scientist, studying and filing away all the weird things about all the people I care about. I'm the human scientist in this place. _A small smile plays on her lips, unnoticed by Brennan.

In a quick movement, Brennan suddenly stands up from the couch. Angela is caught unaware and hastily copies her friend's actions. Brennan gives Angela a strong, brief hug. "Thanks Ange, I know what to do now." She releases her dazed best friend, and claiming urgent, pending results of a bone scan, leaves Angela's office.

"You're welcome, sweetie! Love you!" Angela calls out after Brennan's retreating form. _I guess this is the beginning of something very big..._

Her gaze follows Brennan until the scientist steps into the Bone room, then she drops back to the couch as crosses her legs in a thinking pose. She's so deep in thought, she doesn't realise Hodgins sneaking in and waving in her face, until she hears the 'beep' from the Angelatron as Hodgins pokes a button in an attempt to wake her from her meditation.

"Oh hey babe, I was... thinking back there. Now step away from my computer **before** I show you nasty." She flashes Hodgins a sneaky smile and her fingers fly over the controls.

* * *

Chapter one's done! this is just to get the ball rolling... one a week! stay tuned :)


	2. Diner Thoughts

The next one is a monologue from Brennan's perspective. She's thinking about leaving, and she's thinking about Booth going too. If this reads a bit wordy or chunky, remember that this is Brennan before she realized that she loved Booth, and that the greater the emotional strain she faced, the more "robotic" she usually became.

if you read it like an essay in response to a discussion question, you kind of get what I'm trying to convey, tone-wise.

For Nicholas, because he was my voice of reason.

* * *

Brennan is seated at the diner. She sees a Corporal in Army fatigues approach Booth, and sees Booth clench a tight jaw. Finally, the Corporal hands Booth a letter, which he grudgingly accepts. Finally, when Booth enters the diner, he relays that the Army has tried extensively to recruit him to train soldiers in Afghanistan Booth assures Brennan that he "sacrificed once for this country, and I will not leave again." They talk about the case over lunch, and Booth leaves Brennan to finish eating as he is called back to the Hoover Building (FBI HQ).

The following is Brennan's thought process.

**_~~XXX~~_**

I'm seated at the diner, and however my focus is being constantly diverted by my observations of Booth's earlier behavior. As ours is a professional working relationship of FBI associates, I know I have no right or command over his decisions. As a platonic friend or as Booth says "partner", I do hold somewhat of a sway over his personal views, but I know that I will have no say over this matter.

I know because I have gone over every possible action Booth will decide upon, and knowing Seeley, I know he will sacrifice himself for his country. I know because I have his past actions as evidence, his subtle body language (that I have grown to discern over the years) as in conflict with his verbal and mental state. I know that the very nature, his ingrained belief, is to never deny his country. Not even in death.

All the evidence and conditions applied to this instance have given me only one conclusion: Booth will leave our partnership for Afghanistan.

I do not know how to react to this hypothesis.

There is one tinge, one selfish innate response in me, that somehow threatens to override my logical hypothesis with an irrational, unbased one. This little shred of ... useless expectation that Seeley will somehow fight the urge to go. That his words earlier were evidence of sorts to the value of this... partnership over his programming, if you will. Angela might even speculate and say I was _hoping he stay, because I can't bear to see him leave._ That might be true; I have never been sure of my own feelings or emotional responses, now even more confused.

In my distraction, I have also forgotten to broach the topic of Maluku Islands with Booth once more. i had wished to ask his opinion on whether I should remain in the familiar, or proceed to the unknown. Seeing as Booth has his own decisions to make, he probably can't advise me on this either.

Also, seeing as he probably won't be staying, I should not add to his list of variables here should he choose deployment overseas. If Booth goes, I do not have any great professional commitment to stay either. The Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian will function without me, as they do in my sporadic digs overseas in the past. Angela has Hodgins, therefore she is not one of my greatest concerns. Camille will have to hire another in my place, probably the other anthropologist in Montreal or one of the better interns. That is, if they choose to remain in my absence...

I realized that unwittingly, I have started to plan and accord a certain amount of responsibility for each member of the team upon myself. I guess you can say that I... Worry for them while I am gone. Whether my work load will be shifted around or taken over. I can never be replaced, of course, but they still need to function. With or without me.

Hmm. that phrase - with or without me - really does put your self-importance into perspective. As Sweets probably would say, I am wondering whether _I have been socially accepted into the fabric of the workplace, and whether my absence will disrupt the hierarchy and balance of the status quo_. Unfounded speculation, however his pseudo-science has proven applicable under certain conditions. After all, a portion of his science has been based on basic neurochemistry and sociology patterns -

_**~~XXX~~**_

A horn disrupts her thought-flow, and she sits up with a start. Her cup of coffee has been refilled twice, so it probably means that she has been sitting here far too long. The lab would miss her, especially Angela. Sighing, and unconsciously kneading away a headache,, Brennan gets up and leaves the diner.

* * *

Next one's a... Booth thought process! you guess it! Booth's thought process are so much more difficult to write because they're so creative! but for you, my lovelies, I will be back next week! :)

In the meantime, check out something I have : ** I got a fever of 103 (Love is A Chemical Thing)** It's a new story I have up!


End file.
